Europe's new car market continues to slow ending Q2 down on 2011

June's fall in sales down 2.0% and 6.6% year-to-date

According to the latest analysis from JATO Dynamics, the European new car market continued to decline, although June's fall in sales was less than in previous months this year.

The European new car market declined by 2.0% in June and only eleven of the thirty countries included in the analysis experienced sales growth. Out of the big five markets, Germany and Great Britain recorded increased sales, and France a small decrease, while Italy and Spain recorded significant declines in sales.

Within the top ten brands by volume, Volkswagen retains its place, ahead of Opel/Vauxhall and Renault while Ford and FIAT suffered the largest percentage fall in sales compared to last year, down 17.2% and 18.2% respectively. Not helped by the drop in vehicles sold within Italy.

Of the top ten brands, only Volkswagen, Audi and BMW recorded increased sales in June compared to the same month in 2011. New and revised models including VW's Up, Tiguan and Beetle, and Audi's Q3 and A6, have largely driven these increases.

The Volkswagen Golf continues to be Europe's best-selling car, despite sales falling 4.2% compared to June 2011. The Opel/Vauxhall Corsa and Volkswagen Polo take second and third places, also despite reduced overall sales. The Renault Mégane continues its rise, achieving fifth place in June, thanks to the success in the Netherlands of the 1.5dCi 110 "Energy ECO2" version, which has significant tax advantages over competitors due to its low 90g/km CO2 emissions.